Only a tiny fraction ∼1% of stellar tidal disruption events (TDEs) generate powerful relativistic jets evidenced by luminous hard X-ray and radio emissions. We propose that a key property responsible for both this surprisingly low rate and a variety of other observations is the typically large misalignment
The tidal disruption event (TDE) AT2022cmc represents the fourth known example of a relativistic jet produced by the tidal disruption of a stray star, providing a unique probe of the formation and evolution of relativistic jets in otherwise dormant supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Here we present deep, late-time Chandra observations of AT2022cmc extending to
- PAR ID:
- 10548279
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.3847
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 974
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 149
- Size(s):
- Article No. 149
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract ψ between the orbital plane of the star and the spin axis of the supermassive black hole (SMBH). Such misaligned disk/jet systems undergo Lense–Thirring precession together about the SMBH spin axis. We find that TDE disks precess sufficiently rapidly that winds from the accretion disk will encase the system on large scales in a quasi-spherical outflow. We derive the critical jet efficiencyη >η critfor both aligned and misaligned precessing jets to successfully escape from the disk wind ejecta. Asη critis higher for precessing jets, less powerful jets only escape after alignment with the SMBH spin. Alignment can occur through magneto-spin or hydrodynamic mechanisms, which we estimate occur on typical timescales of weeks and years, respectively. The dominant mechanism depends onη and the orbital penetration factorβ . Hence, depending only on the intrinsic parameters of the event {ψ ,η ,β }, we propose that each TDE jet can either escape prior to alignment, thus exhibiting an erratic X-ray light curve and two-component radio afterglow (e.g., Swift J1644+57), or escape after alignment. Relatively rapid magneto-spin alignments produce relativistic jets exhibiting X-ray power-law decay and bright afterglows (e.g., AT2022cmc), while long hydrodynamic alignments give rise to late jet escape and delayed radio flares (e.g., AT2018hyz). -
Abstract We have simulated the collapse and evolution of the core of a solar-metallicity 40
M ⊙star and find that it explodes vigorously by the neutrino mechanism, despite its very high “compactness.” Within ∼1.5 s of explosion, a black hole forms. The explosion is very asymmetrical and has a total explosion energy of ∼1.6 × 1051erg. At black hole formation, its baryon mass is ∼2.434M ⊙and gravitational mass is 2.286M ⊙. Seven seconds after black hole formation, an additional ∼0.2M ⊙is accreted, leaving a black hole baryon mass of ∼2.63M ⊙. A disk forms around the proto−neutron star, from which a pair of neutrino-driven jets emanates. These jets accelerate some of the matter up to speeds of ∼45,000 km s−1and contain matter with entropies of ∼50. The large spatial asymmetry in the explosion results in a residual black hole recoil speed of ∼1000 km s−1. This novel black hole formation channel now joins the other black hole formation channel between ∼12 and ∼15M ⊙discovered previously and implies that the black hole/neutron star birth ratio for solar-metallicity stars could be ∼20%. However, one channel leaves black holes in perhaps the ∼5–15M ⊙range with low kick speeds, while the other leaves black holes in perhaps the ∼2.5–3.0M ⊙mass range with high kick speeds. However, even ∼8.8 s after core bounce the newly formed black hole is still accreting at a rate of ∼2 × 10−2M ⊙s−1, and whether the black hole eventually achieves a significantly larger mass over time is yet to be determined. -
Abstract We present the first numerical simulations that track the evolution of a black hole–neutron star (BH–NS) merger from premerger to
r ≳ 1011cm. The disk that forms after a merger of mass ratioq = 2 ejects massive disk winds (3–5 × 10−2M ⊙). We introduce various postmerger magnetic configurations and find that initial poloidal fields lead to jet launching shortly after the merger. The jet maintains a constant power due to the constancy of the large-scale BH magnetic flux until the disk becomes magnetically arrested (MAD), where the jet power falls off asL j ∼t −2. All jets inevitably exhibit either excessive luminosity due to rapid MAD activation when the accretion rate is high or excessive duration due to delayed MAD activation compared to typical short gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs). This provides a natural explanation for long sGRBs such as GRB 211211A but also raises a fundamental challenge to our understanding of jet formation in binary mergers. One possible implication is the necessity of higher binary mass ratios or moderate BH spins to launch typical sGRB jets. For postmerger disks with a toroidal magnetic field, dynamo processes delay jet launching such that the jets break out of the disk winds after several seconds. We show for the first time that sGRB jets with initial magnetizationσ 0> 100 retain significant magnetization (σ ≫ 1) atr > 1010cm, emphasizing the importance of magnetic processes in the prompt emission. The jet–wind interaction leads to a power-law angular energy distribution by inflating an energetic cocoon whose emission is studied in a companion paper. -
Abstract Accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) produce highly magnetized relativistic jets that tend to collimate gradually as they propagate outward. However, recent radio interferometric observations of the 3C 84 galaxy reveal a stunning, cylindrical jet already at several hundred SMBH gravitational radii,
r ≳ 350r g. We explore how such extreme collimation emerges via a suite of 3D general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations. We consider an SMBH surrounded by a magnetized torus immersed in a constant-density ambient medium that starts at the edge of the SMBH sphere of influence, chosen to be much larger than the SMBH gravitational radius,r B= 103r g. We find that radiatively inefficient accretion flows (e.g., M87) produce winds that collimate the jets into parabolas near the black hole. After the disk winds stop collimating the jets atr ≲r B, they turn conical. Once outsider B, the jets run into the ambient medium and form backflows that collimate the jets into cylinders some distance beyondr B. Interestingly, for radiatively efficient accretion, as in 3C 84, the radiative cooling saps the energy out of the disk winds; at early times, they cannot efficiently collimate the jets, which skip the initial parabolic collimation stage, start out conical near the SMBH, and turn into cylinders already atr ≃ 300r g, as observed in 3C 84. Over time, the jet power remains approximately constant, whereas the mass accretion rate increases; the winds grow in strength and start to collimate the jets, which become quasi-parabolic near the base, and the transition point to a nearly cylindrical jet profile moves outward while remaining insider B. -
ABSTRACT When a star passes close to a supermassive black hole (BH), the BH’s tidal forces rip it apart into a thin stream, leading to a tidal disruption event (TDE). In this work, we study the post-disruption phase of TDEs in general relativistic hydrodynamics (GRHD) using our GPU-accelerated code h-amr. We carry out the first grid-based simulation of a deep-penetration TDE (β = 7) with realistic system parameters: a black hole-to-star mass ratio of 106, a parabolic stellar trajectory, and a non-zero BH spin. We also carry out a simulation of a tilted TDE whose stellar orbit is inclined relative to the BH midplane. We show that for our aligned TDE, an accretion disc forms due to the dissipation of orbital energy with ∼20 per cent of the infalling material reaching the BH. The dissipation is initially dominated by violent self-intersections and later by stream–disc interactions near the pericentre. The self-intersections completely disrupt the incoming stream, resulting in five distinct self-intersection events separated by approximately 12 h and a flaring in the accretion rate. We also find that the disc is eccentric with mean eccentricity e ≈ 0.88. For our tilted TDE, we find only partial self-intersections due to nodal precession near pericentre. Although these partial intersections eject gas out of the orbital plane, an accretion disc still forms with a similar accreted fraction of the material to the aligned case. These results have important implications for disc formation in realistic tidal disruptions. For instance, the periodicity in accretion rate induced by the complete stream disruption may explain the flaring events from Swift J1644+57.